Monthly Archives: January 2015

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1913 Renault Type DP 22/24HP Coupe-Chauffeur by Renaudin et Besson

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 6, 2015

Photo – Artcurial

What you can’t see in this image (and what you’ll have to go to Artcurial’s website to check out) are pictures of this car’s interior. It looks like a haunted house in there (and it’s kind of frightening in a kids-in-Victorian-clothing kind of way from the outside too). We sometimes think of the Twentieth Century as “modern times,” but if you think about it, our knowledge of pop culture doesn’t really go back any farther than the 40s or 30s, or, in some cases, the 20s. But pop culture in the 1900s and 1910s is a mystery to most of us – and so is what they considered stylish and what constituted general day-to-day life. Look at the interior of this car and you can see how far we’ve come.

That was a bit of rant, but here’s some info about this car: the Type DP was built between 1913 and 1914 only. It uses a 5.0-liter, water-cooled straight-four making 24 horsepower. The body here is by Renaudin et Besson of Paris and it is mostly wooden.

This was Renault’s flagship car prior to WWI and this example has been in the same family since new (it is now owned by the great-great grandson of the original owner). It has never been restored and is ripe for preservation awards the world over. It’s really an incredible time capsule and can be yours for between $350,000-$590,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1958 Borgward 1500 Rennsport

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 5, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

The story of Carl F.W. Borgward is a really interesting (and heartbreaking) one. His companies definitely built some interesting cars but they were all closed down for financial reasons that may or may not have been valid.

The story of Borgward racing started as a racing project from a privateer team but morphed into a factory effort after the privateers took some victories. Borgward reworked the engine from the Hansa 1500 and dropped it into an ever-evolving chassis and went racing. The engine underwent development from it’s 1952 racing debut and by 1956 the 1.5-liter straight-four was putting out 150 horsepower, thanks to 16-valve fuel injection.

This particular car was constructed using spare parts left over from Borgward’s racing program, which was on the decline after 1956. The car was assembled in 2009 and completed in 2013. So it’s sort of new but uses all period parts and looks really cool. At any rate, reproduction or not, it should still command an impressive $300,000-$410,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

1925 Voisin C3 Cabriolet Transformable by Rothschild et Fils

Offered by RM Auctions | Paris, France | February 4, 2015

Photo – RM Auctions

Voisins are highly desirable cars because they’re just so unique. Gabriel Voisin was an aviation engineer but he was also a former student at the Fine Arts School of Lyon. So the combination of art and engineering really came together with his cars.

This C3 is a long chassis model powered by a 4.0-liter sleeve-valve straight-four making 80 horsepower. The body is by Rothschild and features a convertible passenger section behind the open driver’s compartment.

Delivered new to an American architect living in Paris, the car is being offered from the collection of John Moir, who had the car restored. Look for it to sell for between $200,000-$285,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM in Paris.

1924 Alfa Romeo RL Limousine de Ville by J. Farré

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 5, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

The RL was Alfa Romeo’s first new sporty model designed after World War I. It went on sale in 1922 and lasted through 1927. It was available in a number of different variants and could be had as a bare chassis so coachbuilders could add their own personal touch.

Not many of these were exported outside of Italy when new, but this is perhaps the only one that was shipped as a bare chassis to Spain, where it was bodied by J. Farré in Barcelona before meeting its owner in Mallorca in 1926. The engine is a 2.9-liter straight-six making 56 horsepower.

This car is in original (but superb) condition and is being offered for sale for the first time outside of Spain in its life. No, it’s not black either… it’s a very nice, deep maroonish-brown. It does run and operate as if it were new. It should bring between $160,000-$210,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1901 Croizemarie Type AC Voiturette

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 6, 2015

Photo – Artcurial

Well this is an interesting one. It’s fairly rare – but not unheard of – that a car shows up in an auction and no one knows a thing about it. Croizemarie is one such company and their minuscule Type AC Voiturette is one such example.

It’s powered by a single-cylinder De Dion engine – the most popular engine in the automotive world in 1901. Many manufacturers used them and built some of their own parts. The catalog states that the body might be a few years newer than the engine/chassis combination.

This car entered the automotive world more recently in 1999 as an unrestored example that had been in the same family since 1921. A restoration was carried out in the last few years and the car runs, but hasn’t really been used. It’s unlikely another one of these exists and it should sell for between $71,000-$95,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Since the top sale was one of our feature cars, we’ll go ahead and name this 1940 Cadillac Series 75 Towncar by Brunn as Most Interesting, among the seemingly infinite number of interesting cars offered this weekend. It was well-bought at $115,500.

Our three feature cars from this sale all sold, with the Miura SVJ bringing the biggest sum at $1,897,500. The Ghia L6.4 brought $412,500 and the Lightspeed Magenta sold for $16,500. Check out full results here.

The fourth auction of this rundown is Gooding & Company’s Scottsdale sale where – you guessed it – another Ferrari topped the sale. This time it’s a 1959 250 GT LWB California Spider for $7,700,000.

Photo – Gooding & Company

Our two feature cars both sold, with the DKW exceeding its estimate and selling for $132,000. The Ferrari 641 F1 car brought $990,000. See full results at Gooding’s website.

1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A SS Cabriolet by Castagna

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 5, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

There is no argument to be had: Isotta Fraschinis have the best grilles. That lightning bolt crossing it is so eye-catching it’s hard to believe it wasn’t copied all over the world. Isottas were some of the most prestigious cars on the market in 1930 – right there with Duesenberg Model Js and Rolls-Royces. In 1930, a coachbuilt Tipo 8A could cost you upwards of a stunning $20,000.

Isotta Fraschini marketed the world’s first straight-eight engined car in 1920. In 1924, that car was replaced by the Tipo 8A. It uses a 7.4-liter straight-eight engine. In SS trim, the engine put out nearly 150 horsepower.

The four-door cabriolet body work on this car was done by Castagna – a very popular coachbuilder for Isottas. It is believed that this car sat on the stand at the 1930 Milan Salon and from there it was believed sold to the son of William Randolph Hearst. It was restored by the current owner, who acquired the car in 2009, at a cost in excess of $800,000.

Only 950 Tipo 8As were built, with the SS being much rarer. And one with the history of this car will elevate it above all others. It is expected to sell for between $1,100,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Paris.

1904 Fouillaron Type G 6HP Tonneau

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 6, 2015

Photo – Artcurial

If we close our eyes and are asked to picture certain types of cars, we all will likely picture similar things when told “coupe” or “pickup truck” or “convertible.” But there was a time in the early days of the automobile when there weren’t standard designs when it came to size and shape. As far as convertibles go, Gustave Fouillaron obviously had something different in mind when his Type G Tonneau was built in 1904.

Fouillaron was founded in 1899 and built cars through 1914. This Type G resembles more of a Conestoga wagon than it does any modern convertible. The way the top comes up is downright fascinating. At first glance, I thought it was a commercial vehicle. The Type G with the conventional rear axle was new for 1904. It uses a six horsepower De Dion single-cylinder engine.

This example was discovered in the 1960s. The catalog description does not mention a restoration in this car’s past and instead says it has been “kept in working order.” It has been in the family of the current owner since 1988 and is London-to-Brighton eligible. It will likely sell for between $83,000-$105,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial.

1958 Grégoire Sport Cabriolet by Chapron

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 6, 2015

Photo – Artcurial

Jean-Albert Grégoire founded Tracta in France in 1926. They built some beautiful, rare, front-wheel drive luxury cars up through 1934. The company may have closed before the war, but Grégoire showed off this highly-styled Sport Cabriolet in 1955 with a body by French coachbuilder Chapron.

It is powered by 2.2-liter supercharged flat-four making 120 horsepower. The car is, like Grégoire’s Tractas before it, front-wheel drive. It’s a rare, attractive car with 1950s engineering and a coachbuilt body from an era past.

Less than 10 of these were built and this one was owned by the same family for the first 50 years. It should sell for between $120,000-$155,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Artcurial in Paris.

1937 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 B Pescara Berlinetta by Pinin Farina

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 5, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

The Alfa Romeo 6C was new for 1925 and the 6C 2300 would be the fourth version of the model. It was introduced in 1934 at the Milan auto show and was the first version of the 6C with over two liters of engine capacity.

The engine is a 2.3-liter straight-six and in this trim it makes 95 horsepower with a top speed of 90 mph. The 2300B Pescara was built between 1934 and 1937, with 185 models produced in total (this includes non-B Pescaras as well).

This Pescara Berlinetta was bodied by Pinin Farina for the 1937 Milan show. It is thought that this body work is actually unique in its glorious Art Deco-ness. After the war, this car was used in hillclimbs before being butchered and converted into a pickup truck in 1954. Luckily, it was discovered in 1992 with a good portion of the original parts there – but the restoration, which began in 2002, required a reconstruction of the fastback section.

Today it looks wonderful. It’s a fine example of 1930s pre-war style by one of the world’s most famous design houses. It will likely sell for between $950,000-$1,700,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.